Swimming in open water such as lakes, rivers and the sea is on the rise thanks to books like Roger Deakin’s influential Waterlog and the increasing popularity of ‘wild swimming’ events, like The Great Swim series. But open water swimming isn’t like swimming in a pool. There aren’t any black lines on the bottom of the lake to guide you …

Whether it’s global warming, cleaner rivers or just the need to get away from the trappings of modern day life stuck behind a desk, it seems there is a huge rise in urban swimming. In the summer it’s traditionally been the many lidos that have been our city’s beaches, particularly in London where dozens of these large outdoor pools still …